This tutorial will show you how to install Funtoo on ZFS (rootfs). This tutorial is meant to be an "overlay" over the [[Funtoo_Linux_Installation|Regular Funtoo Installation]]. Follow the normal installation and only use this guide for steps 2, 3, and 8.

Since ZFS is a new technology for Linux, it can be helpful to understand some of its benefits, particularly in comparison to BTRFS, another popular next-generation Linux filesystem:

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==== Wifi ====

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* On Linux, the ZFS code can be updated independently of the kernel to obtain the latest fixes. btrfs is exclusive to Linux and you need to build the latest kernel sources to get the latest fixes.

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* ZFS is supported on multiple platforms. The platforms with the best support are Solaris, FreeBSD and Linux. Other platforms with varying degrees of support are NetBSD, Mac OS X and Windows. btrfs is exclusive to Linux.

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* ZFS has the Adaptive Replacement Cache replacement algorithm while btrfs uses the Linux kernel's Last Recently Used replacement algorithm. The former often has an overwhelmingly superior hit rate, which means fewer disk accesses.

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===== Via NetworkManager =====

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* ZFS has the ZFS Intent Log and SLOG devices, which accelerates small synchronous write performance.

* ZFS handles internal fragmentation gracefully, such that you can fill it until 100%. Internal fragmentation in btrfs can make btrfs think it is full at 10%. Btrfs has no automatic rebalancing code, so it requires a manual rebalance to correct it.

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* ZFS has raidz, which is like RAID 5/6 (or a hypothetical RAID 7 that supports 3 parity disks), except it does not suffer from the RAID write hole issue thanks to its use of CoW and a variable stripe size. btrfs gained integrated RAID 5/6 functionality in Linux 3.9. However, its implementation uses a stripe cache that can only partially mitigate the effect of the RAID write hole.

{{fancywarning|'''When booting into the ISO, Make sure that you select the "Alternate 64 bit kernel (altker64)". The ZFS modules have been built specifically for this kernel rather than the standard kernel. If you select a different kernel, you will get a fail to load module stack error message.'''}}

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== Creating partitions ==

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There are two ways to partition your disk: You can use your entire drive and let ZFS automatically partition it for you, or you can do it manually.

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We will be showing you how to partition it '''manually''' because if you partition it manually you get to create your own layout, you get to have your own separate /boot partition (Which is nice since not every bootloader supports booting from ZFS pools), and you get to boot into RAID10, RAID5 (RAIDZ) pools and any other layouts due to you having a separate /boot partition.

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==== gdisk (GPT Style) ====

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'''A Fresh Start''':

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First lets make sure that the disk is completely wiped from any previous disk labels and partitions.

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We will also assume that <tt>/dev/sda</tt> is the target drive.<br />

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<console>

<console>

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# ##i##sgdisk -Z /dev/sda

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# ##i##addwifi -S wpa -K 'wifipassword' mywifinetwork

</console>

</console>

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{{fancywarning|This is a destructive operation and the program will not ask you for confirmation! Make sure you really don't want anything on this disk.}}

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===== Via wpa_supplicant =====

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Now that we have a clean drive, we will create the new layout.

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==== Connexion filaire ====

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First open up the application:

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<console>

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# ##i##gdisk /dev/sda

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</console>

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'''Create Partition 1''' (boot):

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<console>

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Command: ##i##n ↵

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Partition Number: ##i##↵

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First sector: ##i##↵

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Last sector: ##i##+250M ↵

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Hex Code: ##i##↵

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</console>

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'''Create Partition 2''' (BIOS Boot Partition):

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<console>Command: ##i##n ↵

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Partition Number: ##i##↵

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First sector: ##i##↵

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Last sector: ##i##+32M ↵

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Hex Code: ##i##EF02 ↵

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</console>

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'''Create Partition 3''' (ZFS):

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<console>Command: ##i##n ↵

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Partition Number: ##i##↵

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First sector: ##i##↵

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Last sector: ##i##↵

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Hex Code: ##i##bf00 ↵

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Command: ##i##p ↵

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Number Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name

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1 2048 514047 250.0 MiB 8300 Linux filesystem

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2 514048 579583 32.0 MiB EF02 BIOS boot partition

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3 579584 1953525134 931.2 GiB BF00 Solaris root

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Command: ##i##w ↵

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</console>

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=== Format your /boot partition ===

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<console>

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# ##i##mkfs.ext2 -m 1 /dev/sda1

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</console>

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=== Encryption (Optional) ===

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If you want encryption, then create your encrypted vault(s) now by doing the following:

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<console>

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# ##i##cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sda3

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# ##i##cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda3 vault_1

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</console>

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{{fancywarning|On some machines, a combination of ZFS and LUKS has caused instability and system crashes.}}

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=== Create the zpool ===

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We will first create the pool. The pool will be named `tank` and the disk will be aligned to 4096 (using ashift=12)

{{fancyimportant|If you are using encrypted root, change '''/dev/sda3 to /dev/mapper/vault_1'''.}}

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{{fancynote| If you have a previous pool that you would like to import, you can do a: '''zpool import -f -R /mnt/funtoo <pool_name>'''.}}

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=== Create the zfs datasets ===

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We will now create some datasets. For this installation, we will create a small but future proof amount of datasets. We will have a dataset for the OS (/), and your swap. We will also show you how to create some optional datasets: <tt>/home</tt>, <tt>/var</tt>, <tt>/usr/src</tt>, and <tt>/usr/portage</tt>.

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<console>

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Create some empty containers for organization purposes, and make the dataset that will hold /

Once you've extracted the stage3, do a few more preparations and chroot into your new funtoo environment:

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<console>

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Bind the kernel related directories

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# ##i##mount -t proc none proc

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# ##i##mount --rbind /dev dev

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# ##i##mount --rbind /sys sys

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Copy network settings

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# ##i##cp -f /etc/resolv.conf etc

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Make the zfs folder in 'etc' and copy your zpool.cache

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# ##i##mkdir etc/zfs

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# ##i##cp /etc/zfs/zpool.cache etc/zfs

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Chroot into Funtoo

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# ##i##env -i HOME=/root TERM=$TERM chroot . bash -l

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</console>

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=== In Chroot ===

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<console>

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Create a symbolic link to your mountpoints

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# ##i##ln -sf /proc/mounts /etc/mtab

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Sync your tree

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# ##i##emerge --sync

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</console>

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=== Add filesystems to /etc/fstab ===

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Before we continue to compile and or install our kernel in the next step, we will edit the <tt>/etc/fstab</tt> file because if we decide to install our kernel through portage, portage will need to know where our <tt>/boot</tt> is, so that it can place the files in there.

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Edit <tt>/etc/fstab</tt>:

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<pre>

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# <fs> <mountpoint> <type> <opts> <dump/pass>

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/dev/sda1 /boot ext2 defaults 0 2

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/dev/zvol/tank/swap none swap sw 0 0

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</pre>

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== Kernel Configuration ==

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To speed up this step, you can install a pre-configured/compiled kernel called '''bliss-kernel'''. This kernel already has the correct configurations for ZFS and a variety of other scenarios. It's a vanilla kernel from kernel.org without any external patches.

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To install {{Package|sys-kernel/bliss-kernel}} type the following:

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge bliss-kernel

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</console>

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Now make sure that your <tt>/usr/src/linux symlink</tt> is pointing to this kernel by typing the following:

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<console>

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# ##i##eselect kernel list

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Available kernel symlink targets:

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[1] linux-3.12.13-KS.02 *

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</console>

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You should see a star next to the version you installed. In this case it was 3.12.13-KS.02. If it's not set, you can type '''eselect kernel set #'''.

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== Installing the ZFS userspace tools and kernel modules ==

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Emerge {{Package|sys-fs/zfs}}. This package will bring in {{Package|sys-kernel/spl}}, and {{Package|sys-fs/zfs-kmod}} as its dependencies:

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge zfs

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</console>

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Check to make sure that the zfs tools are working. The <code>zpool.cache</code> file that you copied before should be displayed.

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<console>

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# ##i##zpool status

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# ##i##zfs list

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</console>

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If everything worked, continue.

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== Installing & Configuring the Bootloader ==

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=== GRUB 2 (Optional if you are using another bootloader) ===

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge grub

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</console>

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You can check that grub is version 2.00 by typing the following command:

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<console>

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# ##i##grub-install --version

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grub-install (GRUB) 2.00

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</console>

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Now install grub to the drive itself (not a partition):

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<console>

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# ##i##grub-install /dev/sda

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</console>

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You should receive the following message:

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<console>

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Installation finished. No error reported.

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</console>

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You should now see some a grub directory with some files inside your /boot folder:

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<console>

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# ##i##ls -l /boot/grub

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total 2520

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-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1024 Jan 4 16:09 grubenv

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drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 8192 Jan 12 14:29 i386-pc

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drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 12 14:28 locale

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-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2555597 Feb 4 11:50 unifont.pf2

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</console>

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=== Extlinux (Optional if you are using another bootloader) ===

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To install extlinux, you can follow the guide here: [[Extlinux|Link to Extlinux Guide]].

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=== LILO (Optional if you are using another bootloader) ===

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To install lilo you can type the following:

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge lilo

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</console>

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=== boot-update ===

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boot-update comes as a dependency of grub2, so if you already installed grub, it's already on your system!

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==== Genkernel ====

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If your using genkernel you must add 'real_root=ZFS=<root>' and 'dozfs' to your params.

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Example entry for <tt>/etc/boot.conf</tt>:

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<pre>

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"Funtoo ZFS" {

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kernel vmlinuz[-v]

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initrd initramfs-genkernel-x86_64[-v]

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params real_root=ZFS=tank/funtoo/root

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params += dozfs=force

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# Also add 'params += crypt_root=/dev/sda3' if you used encryption

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# Adjust the above setting to your system if needed

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}

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</pre>

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==== Bliss Initramfs Creator ====

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If you used Bliss Initramfs Creator then all you need to do is add 'root=<root>' to your params.

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Example entry for <tt>/etc/boot.conf</tt>:

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<pre>

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"Funtoo ZFS" {

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kernel vmlinuz[-v]

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initrd initrd[-v]

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params root=tank/funtoo/root quiet

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# If you have an encrypted device with a regular passphrase,

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# you can add the following line

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params += enc_root=/dev/sda3 enc_type=pass

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}

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</pre>

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After editing /etc/boot.conf, you just need to run boot-update to update grub.cfg

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<console>

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###i## boot-update

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</console>

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=== bliss-boot ===

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This is a new program that is designed to generate a simple, human-readable/editable, configuration file for a variety of bootloaders. It currently supports grub2, extlinux, and lilo.

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You can install it via the following command:

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge bliss-boot

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</console>

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==== Bootloader Configuration ====

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In order to generate our bootloader configuration file, we will first configure bliss-boot so that it knows what we want. The 'bliss-boot' configuration file is located in '''/etc/bliss-boot/conf.py'''. Open that file and make sure that the following variables are set appropriately:

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<pre>

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# This should be set to the bootloader you installed earlier: (grub2, extlinux, and lilo are the available options)

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bootloader = "grub2"

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# This should be set to the kernel you installed earlier

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default = "3.12.13-KS.02"

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</pre>

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Scroll all the way down until you find 'kernels'. You will need to add the kernels and the options

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you want for these kernels here. Below are a few configuration options depending if you are using

Now that we have configure our '''/etc/bliss-boot/conf.py''' file, we can generate our config. Simply run the following command:

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<console>

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# ##i##bliss-boot

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</console>

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This will generate a configuration file for the bootloader you specified previously in your current directory. You can check your config file before hand to make sure it doesn't have any errors. Simply open either: grub.cfg, extlinux.conf, or lilo.conf.

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Once you have checked it for errors, place this file in the correct directory:

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* grub2 = /boot/grub/

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* extlinux = /boot/extlinux/

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* lilo = /etc/lilo.conf

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=== LILO (Optional if you are using another bootloader) ===

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Now that bliss-boot generated the lilo.conf file, move that config file to its appropriate location

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and install lilo to the MBR:

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<console>

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# ##i##mv lilo.conf /etc

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# ##i##lilo

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You should see the following:

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Warning: LBA32 addressing assumed

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Added Funtoo + *

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One warning was issued

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</console>

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== Create the initramfs ==

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There are two ways to do this, you can use "genkernel" or "bliss-initramfs". Both will be shown.

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=== genkernel ===

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Install genkernel and run it:

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<console>

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# ##i##emerge genkernel

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You only need to add --luks if you used encryption

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# ##i##genkernel --zfs --luks initramfs

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</console>

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=== Bliss Initramfs Creator ===

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If you are encrypting your drives, then add the "luks" use flag to your package.use before emerging:

You can either run it without any parameters to get an interactive menu

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or you can pass the parameters directly. 1 = zfs, 6 = encrypted zfs, and the kernel name.

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# ##i##bliss-initramfs 1 3.12.13-KS.02

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</console>

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=== Moving into the correct location ===

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Place the file that was generated by the above applications into either your /boot folder (If you are using boot-update) or into your /boot/kernels/3.12.13-KS.02 folder (If you are using bliss-boot). For bliss-boot, the file needs to be called 'initrd' rather than 'initrd-3.12.13-KS.02'.

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==== boot-update ====

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<console>

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# ##i##mv initrd-3.12.13-KS.02 /boot

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</console>

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==== bliss-boot ====

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<console>

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# ##i##mv initrd-3.12.13-KS.02 /boot/kernels/3.12.13-KS.02/initrd

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</console>

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== Final configuration ==

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=== Add the zfs tools to openrc ===

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<console># ##i##rc-update add zfs boot</console>

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=== Clean up and reboot ===

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We are almost done, we are just going to clean up, '''set our root password''', and unmount whatever we mounted and get out.

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<console>

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Delete the stage3 tarball that you downloaded earlier so it doesn't take up space.

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# ##i##cd /

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# ##i##rm stage3-latest.tar.xz

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Set your root password

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# ##i##passwd

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>> Enter your password, you won't see what you are writing (for security reasons), but it is there!

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Get out of the chroot environment

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# ##i##exit

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Unmount all the kernel filesystem stuff and boot (if you have a separate /boot)

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# ##i##umount -l proc dev sys boot

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Turn off the swap

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# ##i##swapoff /dev/zvol/tank/swap

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Export the zpool

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# ##i##cd /

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# ##i##zpool export tank

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Reboot

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# ##i##reboot

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</console>

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{{fancyimportant|'''Don't forget to set your root password as stated above before exiting chroot and rebooting. If you don't set the root password, you won't be able to log into your new system.'''}}

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and that should be enough to get your system to boot on ZFS.

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== After reboot ==

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=== Forgot to reset password? ===

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==== System Rescue CD ====

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If you aren't using bliss-initramfs, then you can reboot back into your sysresccd and reset through there by mounting your drive, chrooting, and then typing passwd.

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Example:

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<console>

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# ##i##zpool import -f -R /mnt/funtoo tank

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# ##i##chroot /mnt/funtoo bash -l

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# ##i##passwd

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# ##i##exit

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# ##i##zpool export -f tank

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# ##i##reboot

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</console>

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==== Using bliss-initramfs ====

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If you forgot to reset your password and are using '''bliss-initramfs''', you can add the '''su''' option to your bootloader parameters and the initramfs will throw you into the rootfs of your drive. In there you can run 'passwd' and then type 'exit'. Once you type 'exit', the initramfs will continue to boot your system as normal.

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=== Create initial ZFS Snapshot ===

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Continue to set up anything you need in terms of /etc configurations. Once you have everything the way you like it, take a snapshot of your system. You will be using this snapshot to revert back to this state if anything ever happens to your system down the road. The snapshots are cheap, and almost instant.

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To take the snapshot of your system, type the following:

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<console># ##i##zfs snapshot -r tank@install</console>

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To see if your snapshot was taken, type:

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<console># ##i##zfs list -t snapshot</console>

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If your machine ever fails and you need to get back to this state, just type (This will only revert your / dataset while keeping the rest of your data intact):

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<console># ##i##zfs rollback tank/funtoo/root@install</console>

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{{fancyimportant|'''For a detailed overview, presentation of ZFS' capabilities, as well as usage examples, please refer to the [[ZFS_Fun|ZFS Fun]] page.'''}}

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== Troubleshooting ==

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=== Starting from scratch ===

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If your installation has gotten screwed up for whatever reason and you need a fresh restart, you can do the following from sysresccd to start fresh:

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<console>

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Destroy the pool and any snapshots and datasets it has

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# ##i##zpool destroy -R -f tank

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This deletes the files from /dev/sda1 so that even after we zap, recreating the drive in the exact sector

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position and size will not give us access to the old files in this partition.